The Return of the Soldier is a novel written by Rebecca West in 1918. The novel revolves around the story of Chris Baldry, an upper class gentleman who has returned from the war to his wife Kitty Baldry. Kitty Baldry is a perfect representation of his upper class lifestyle: she is obsessed with a clean and tidy lifestyle and about manners. However, he has a former love by the name of Margaret Grey, who is of a modest background. Margaret fell in love with Chris as a girl and now that he has returned from the war, he has asked to see her. The novel is narrated by a narrator called 'Jenny' and she explores the love triangle between Kitty, Chris and Margaret.
The book was written by the author to explore the societal segments that exist and how society is differentiated based on a person's background and means. The book also explores the complications that the emotion love can bring up.
The book has generally been well received by critics and fans of the book. Lawrence Gilman reviewed the book in 1918 for The North American Review as 'The Book of the Month' and praised the author's level of detail. The book was made into a film in 1982.
